Airbus’ A350 Just Took Flight, Set to Be Delivered in 2014

Boeings Dreamliner has been a bit of a nightmare for the company. And now they’re about to face stiff competition from Airbus, who today officially launched – as in first flight – their A350.

The Airbus A350 is described as being half metal and half carbon, which should equate to significant fuel savings, something airlines are always keen to achieve. But that’s only, well, half the story. The engines, made by Rolls Royce, are ultra efficient and in fact are said to be the most efficient of their type in their world. 18,000 components make up one of these, and the internals reportedly reach a temperature that is half (there it is again) the temperature of the Sun’s surface.

The A350 took off from Blagnac airstrip in the French city of Toulouse, where the plane is made. It’s expected to undergo a year’s worth of test flights before it regulatory certification, where upon it will be delivered to its first customer, Qatar Airways, in the latter half of 2014.

Christen Costa

Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since I was small I have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets."